Case management for a personal injury plaintiff&#39;s law office using a relational database

ABSTRACT

An electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office in which client and defendant level data related to an injury incident are collected and organized in an efficient manner. The electronic case manager include a relational database having a number of tables, and a database management program.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may showand/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner.The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by any one of the patent disclosure, as it appears in thePatent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwisereserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to automation of law offices,and more particularly to automation of personal injury law practices.

2. Description of Related Art

For an attorney experienced in personal injury plaintiff's work, casesproceed in a fairly predictable process. The client usually retains theattorney on a contingency basis, so that the attorney only is paid ifthere is a recovery for the client's injuries. The client usually hasinjuries which are treated by various professionals, such as doctors,dentists, physical therapists and chiropractors. The client typicallyseeks compensation for the costs of these treatments. The client mayhave other costs for which he seeks compensation, such as for repair ofauto damage. Finally, the client may seek compensation for other things,such as pain and suffering, lost consortium, lost wages, etc.

It is well-known that most personal injury cases are settled. Of allpersonal injury cases, only a small percentage advance to the filing ofa complaint, and fewer still advance through final judgement. Theplaintiff's attorney is motivated to settle because of the high cost forthe attorney to pursue a lawsuit. The defense attorney is motivated tosettle because of the risk of a huge damage award against his client inlitigation. In fact, early settlement is the norm in personal injurycases. Profitability of a personal injury law office often depends onefficient movement of cases toward settlement.

In running a personal injury law practice, an attorney or trainedstaff-member must spend hours to complete the necessary forms anddocuments needed to prepare a personal injury case for settlement. Atthe outset, letters must be sent to the client and insurance companies,and as the case progresses, letters and documents must be exchanged withmedical providers, opposing attorneys, and eventually the courts. Thetime spent preparing these documents can severely distract personalinjury attorneys from more important matters such as researching andinvestigating their cases and building their practices.

In many jurisdictions, the courts have promulgated required forms forpractice before them. In California, personal injury lawyers commonlyuse a type of document called a Judicial Council form. The JudicialCouncil forms are official forms promulgated by the California JudicialCouncil, a court agency.

Studies have shown that an experienced personal injury lawyer spendsapproximately 25 hours working up a case to the point of settlement.Assuming a billing rate of $100/hour, the cost to settle the averagecase is $2,500. The attorney fees generated in a settlement of anaverage case are $3,200.

By automating the case handling and document production processes,software can reduce the amount of time required to prepare a case forsettlement. By reducing the amount of time required to work up theaverage case, the profit margin can increase substantially. Furthermore,the attorney has more time to spend investigating and preparing theircases and obtaining new clients.

There are a number of computer programs which a personal injuryplaintiff's law office can use for case management. These casemanagement systems include databases for various relevant information,and often can generate calendars of previously entered due dates. Thesecase management systems also serve as contact managers, and frequentlywill handle billing and accounting as well.

One of the major impediments to efficient management of data in apersonal injury plaintiff's law office is the complex nature of thedata. For a given case, the law office may represent many clients, eachwith differing claims and injuries. There may be many defendants. Manythird parties are also involved in the process: defendants' lawyers,doctors, witnesses, expert witnesses, police departments, auto bodyshops, insurance companies, attorneys for the insurance companies, etc.Because there is so much information, typical systems have been unableto provide for efficient data entry and management. These are criticalprecedent steps toward gaining the benefits from these types ofprograms.

Relational databases have been known for quite some time. A relationaldatabase consists of a collection of tables, each having a unique name.A row in a table represents a relationship among a set of values. Thus atable represents a collection of relationships.

A relational database normally is considered to have two primarycomponents. First, a relational database has a database scheme, which isthe logical design of how data is organized withing the database. Thedatabase scheme includes the names of the tables, the names of thefields (or columns) within each table, and the attributes of the fields(e.g., text, numeric, date, etc.). Second, a relational database has adatabase instance, which is the data in the database at a point in time.

Despite the benefits of relational databases, most case managementsystems for personal injury plaintiff's law offices use simpler,hierarchical databases. Even those which have utilized relationaldatabases have done so in a limited fashion. Without a well-designedrelational database, a case management system for personal injuryplaintiff's law offices requires double-entry of data and the casemanagement system can be unable to handle the complex nature of thecase's data. Without the ability to easily enter data, without theability to enter certain types of data, and without the ability tologically organize the data, such systems have provided very limitedbenefit and have therefore seen limited commercial success.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The previously described problems are solved in an electronic casemanager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office in which client anddefendant level data related to an injury incident are collected andorganized in an efficient manner. The electronic case manager includes arelational database having a number of tables and a case managementprogram for interfacing with a user to receive data, manage the data andto provide output.

The electronic case manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law officeincludes a data structure programmed and arranged for classifying datain a relational structure and a database manager programmed and arrangedfor managing the data structure to allow users to generate documents onthe output device.

The relational structure comprises a plurality of tables, the tablescomprising plural records relating to personal injury-causing incidents.Each record comprises at least one field. The tables of the relationalstructure include:

a clients table for storing information about clients in client records,

a defendants table for storing information about prospective and actualdefendants for claims by law office clients for personal injuries indefendant records,

an insurers table for storing information about insurers in insurerrecords,

an attorneys table for storing information storing about defense andinsurance attorneys in attorney records,

an incidents table for storing information about injury-causingincidents in incidents records,

a property damage table for storing information about property damage inproperty damage records,

a loss of earning table for storing information about loss of earningsin loss of earnings records,

a medical bills table for storing information about medical bills inmedical bills records,

a witnesses table for storing information about witnesses in witnessrecords,

an expert witnesses table for storing information about expert witnessesin expert witness records,

an evidence table for storing information about evidence in evidencerecords,

a litigation table for storing information about litigation inlitigation records,

depositions table for storing information about depositions indeposition records,

a discovery table for storing information about discovery in discoveryrecords,

a motions table for storing information about motions in motion records,

a costs table for storing information about costs in costs records,

an arbitrations table for storing information about arbitrations inarbitration records, and

a police reports table for storing information about police reports inpolice report records.

The tables are linked through certain identical fields. The linksinclude a file number field included in and required in the records ofthe clients table, the defendants table, the insurers table, theattorneys table, the incidents table, the property damage table, theloss of earning table, the medical bills table, the witnesses table, theexpert witnesses table, the evidence table, the litigation table, thedepositions table, the discovery table, the motions table, the coststable, the arbitrations table and the police reports table, the filenumber field comprising a unique reference number for referencingincidents. Another link is through a client name field included in andrequired in the records of the clients table, the loss of earning table,the medical bills table, the discovery table and the costs table, theclient name field comprising a client's name and is unique in each tablefor each file number.

The database manager includes instructions for merging data stored inrecords in the tables with document templates in accordance withpredefined merge rules. The database manager manages the relational datastructure in accordance with predefined structure rules. These structurerules include:

for each incident there will be at least one client record,

for each incident there will be at least one defendant record,

for each incident there will be at least one insurer record,

for each incident there may be one or more attorney records,

for each incident there will be only one incident record,

for each incident there may be one or more property damage records,

for each incident there may be one or more loss of earnings records,

for each incident there may be one or more medical bills records,

for each incident there may be one or more witness records,

for each incident there may be one or more expert witness records,

for each incident there may be one or more evidence records,

for each incident there may be one litigation record,

for each incident there may be one or more deposition records,

for each incident there may be one or more discovery records,

for each incident there may be one or more motion records, and

for each incident there may be one or more costs records.

Still further objects and advantages attaching to the device and to itsuse and operation will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing particular description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects of this invention, together with additional featurescontributing thereto and advantages accruing therefrom, will be apparentfrom the following description of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention which is shown in the accompanying drawings with likereference numerals indicating corresponding parts throughout and whichis to be read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a general purpose computer in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of relational database tables having file numberlinkages in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of relational database tables having file number andclient name linkages in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of relational database tables having linkages otherthan file number in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5A is a screen shot of a client record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 5B is a screen shot of a settlement data entry screen in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a defendant record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 7 is a screen shot of a insurer record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of an attorney record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an incident record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 10 is a screen shot of a property damage record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 11 is a screen shot of a loss of earnings record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are screen shots of medical bills record data entryscreens in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 13 is a screen shot of a witness record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 14 is a screen shot of an expert witness record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 15 is a screen shot of a evidence record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 16 is a screen shot of a litigation record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 17 is a screen shot of a deposition record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 18 is a screen shot of a discovery record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 19 is a screen shot of a motion record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 20 is a screen shot of a cost record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 21 is a screen shot of a arbitration record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 22 is a screen shot of a police report record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 23 is a screen shot of a body shop record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 24 is a screen shot of an attorney contact record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 25 is a screen shot of an adjuster contact record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 26 is a screen shot of an expert contact record data entry screenin accordance with the invention.

FIG. 27 is a screen shot of a medical provider contact record data entryscreen in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 28 is a screen shot of an arbitrator contact record data entryscreen in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a method of generating documents in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 30 is a screen shot of a firm attorney record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 31 is a screen shot of an appearances record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 32 is a screen shot of a courts record data entry screen inaccordance with the invention.

These and additional embodiments of the invention may now be betterunderstood by turning to the following detailed description wherein anillustrated embodiment is described.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Throughout this description, the preferred embodiment and examples shownshould be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on theapparatus and methods of the present invention.

The invention is embodied in Personal Injury Powertool, published byHiPerSoft Corporation (Long Beach, Calif.) and first sold on or afterJun. 9, 1997. The substance, functionality, screens, documentation, andon-line help of the P.I. Powertool are incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 1 shows a general purpose computer 100. The computer 100 preferablyincludes an Intel Corporation (San Jose, Calif.) processor 155 and runsa Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.) Windows operating system. Inconjunction with the processor 155, the computer 100 has a short termmemory 150 (preferably RAM) and a long term memory 180 (preferably ahard disk) as known in the art. The computer 100 further includes a LANinterface 115, a display 105, a display adapter 120, a keyboard 130, amouse 140, a bus 110 and a printer 125 as known in the art.

Before proceeding, a few terms are defined. By "software" it is meantone or more computer interpretable programs and/or modules related andpreferably integrated for performing a desired function. By "document"it is meant a named, structural unit of text, graphics and/or other datathat can be stored, retrieved and exchanged among systems and users as aseparate unit. By "case" it is meant. By "incident" it is meant theaction or event which gave rise to the injuries for which the law firm'sclient seeks compensation, and could be, for example, a car accident, adog bite, a slip and fall, or an assault and batter. By "client" it ismeant a client of the law firm who the law firm is representing withrespect to the client's claim arising from an incident. By "defendant"it is meant a party which is potentially liable for a client's damages,and encompasses such parties regardless of whether the client sues theparty.

The most time consuming process in the practice of law involves thepreparation of various documents. In accordance with the invention,various databases are defined and used in conjunction with formdocuments to easily, efficiently, and quickly prepare documents. Twotypes of documents are produced in accordance with the invention:Judicial Council forms and custom forms. Both Judicial Council forms andcustom forms can be created by the user with one or two keystrokes ormouse clicks. In most cases, the user need only select the type ofdocument to be prepared and the client from a list and the document isautomatically generated with all necessary information.

The Judicial Council forms are grouped as follows: General, Pleading,Discovery, Case Management, Los Angeles County, Miscellaneous, CaseManagement, and DMV. Other forms include letters to clients, medicalproviders, insurance companies, witnesses and opposing attorneys.

When preparing forms in accordance with the invention, the electroniccase manager of the invention gathers data from a relational database.Because the program generates output dynamically as desired by a user,the output will reflect the current state of the relational database inthe electronic case manager.

Overview of the Tables

The block diagrams of FIGS. 2-4 collectively show an electronic casemanager relational database in accordance with the invention.

The database includes the tables shown in Tables IA, IB and IC. Thesetables include columns identifying the tables of the data structure ofthe invention, a description of the data stored in the table, thetable's essentiality, and the corresponding reference number in FIGS.2-4. The tables of Table IA are shown in FIG. 2. The tables of Table IBare shown in FIG. 3. The tables of Table IC are shown in FIG. 4. TableIA lists the tables which store records specific to incidents where theprimary linkage is by an incident key. Table IB lists the tables whichstore records specific to incidents where the primary linkage is byincident key plus a client key. Table IC lists the tables which storerecords which are not specific to incidents, and are also not specificto clients.

In the following tables, the fourth column is labeled "Essential?" Ifthere is a check in this column, then the table (or field in the case ofTables II through XXVI) in that row is an essential part of the datastructure of the invention. However, while a given table or field may beessential, a user need not necessarily enter data in that table orfield.

In some cases, a table may not be marked as essential, but one or moreof the fields in the table may be marked as essential. In thiscircumstance, the table is not considered to be essential, but if thetable is included, then the marked fields are essential.

                  TABLE IA                                                        ______________________________________                                        Table Name                                                                              Description      Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        defendants                                                                              information about prospective                                                                  220      .check mark.                                        and actual defendants for                                                     claims by law office clients                                                  for personal injuries                                               insurers  information about insurers                                                                     210      .check mark.                              attorneys information storing about                                                                      260      .check mark.                                        defense and insurance                                                         attorneys                                                           incidents information about injury-                                                                      205      .check mark.                                        causing incidents                                                   witnesses information about witnesses                                                                    215      .check mark.                              expert witnesses                                                                        information about expert                                                                       250      .check mark.                                        witnesses                                                           evidence  information about evidence                                                                     245      .check mark.                              litigation                                                                              information about litigation                                                                   230      .check mark.                              depositions                                                                             information about depositions                                                                  255      .check mark.                              motions   information about motions                                                                      240      .check mark.                              arbitrations                                                                            information about arbitrations                                                                 235      .check mark.                              police reports                                                                          information about police                                                                       225      .check mark.                                        reports                                                             appearances                                                                             information about court                                                                        265                                                          appearances                                                         ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE IB                                                        ______________________________________                                        Table Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        clients information about clients                                                                        305      .check mark.                              property                                                                              information about property damage                                                                315      .check mark.                              damage                                                                        discovery                                                                             information about discovery                                                                      330      .check mark.                              loss of information about loss of earnings                                                               320      .check mark.                              earnings                                                                      costs   information about court costs                                                                    325      .check mark.                              medical bills                                                                         information about medical bills                                                                  310      .check mark.                              body shops                                                                            information about repair estimates                                                               335      .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE IC                                                        ______________________________________                                        Table Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        attorney                                                                              information about attorneys                                                                      410                                                contacts                                                                      adjuster                                                                              information about insurance                                                                      425                                                contacts                                                                              adjusters                                                             expert  information about experts who may                                                                430                                                contacts                                                                              be retained as expert witnesses                                       provider                                                                              information about medical care                                                                   420                                                contacts                                                                              providers                                                             arbitrator                                                                            information about arbitrators sitting                                                            415                                                contacts                                                                              on arbitration panels                                                 firm    information about attorneys in the                                                               405                                                attorneys                                                                             firm                                                                  courts  information about courts                                                                         435                                                ______________________________________                                    

The tables in Table IC are not essential. However, they are preferablyprovided to allow for reuse of the indicated data. This reuse may takeplace across the cases, so none of these tables includes a file numberfield, as shown further below.

Preferably, data entry screens for the data structure of the inventioninclude editing and ease of use features as known in the art. Thisincludes intelligent field length limiting, automatic formatting ofdates, numbers, monetary amounts, etc., drop-down lists which may or maynot be edited depending on the nature of the data, etc.

Information About Each Table

Before describing the individual fields of each table, several fieldswhich appear in the tables are described, including a file number field,name fields, a client ID field, a defendant ID field, and addressfields.

The file number field in the various tables, in most law offices, willbe the firm's own file number for the case. However, the file numberneed only be unique for each case, and could even be generated by thedatabase manager.

The various name fields preferably are comprised of a first name, middlename and last name field.

Each client must have a unique client ID field for each case. Eachdefendant must have a unique defendant ID field for each case.Preferably, the client IDs and defendant IDs are unique amongst eachother for each case as well. This permits linkages between the insurerstable and discovery tables. Alternatively, for tables which might havean ID field which could be filled by a client ID or a defendant ID,flags may be provided to indicate whether an ID is a client ID or adefendant ID, or separate fields may be provided for client ID anddefendant ID.

The various address fields are preferably comprised of a street addressfield, a state field, a city field, a zip code field, and one or morephone number fields.

Turning now to the tables, the fields in the clients table 305 are shownin Table II. These fields and additional fields are shown in FIGS. 5Aand 5B and will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. The clienttable must be linked to the incident table. Preferably, this linkage isarranged by including a file number field in the client table.

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                        Clients Table Structure                                                       Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               509      .check mark.                              client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             .check mark.                                               to the client's case                                                  name    a client's name    501      .check mark.                              address the client's address                                                                             502      .check mark.                              date of birth                                                                         the client's date of birth                                                                       503      .check mark.                              first   a government-issued identification                                                               504      .check mark.                              government                                                                            number, preferably a drivers                                          identification                                                                        license number                                                        second  a government-issued identification                                                               505      .check mark.                              government                                                                            number, preferably a social                                           identification                                                                        security number                                                       salutation                                                                            a salutation or greeting to use on                                                               506      .check mark.                                      letters to the client                                                 event type                                                                            the type of event which led to the                                                               507      .check mark.                                      client's injury; preferably selected                                          from a list                                                           assigned                                                                              an identifier of the firm's attorney                                                             508      .check mark.                              attorney                                                                              who is assigned to represent the                                              client                                                                ready to                                                                              whether the client is ready to settle                                                            510                                                settle                                                                        demand  the date when a demand letter was                                                                511                                                letter sent                                                                           sent on behalf of the client                                          settlement                                                                            the type of settlement sought                                                                    512                                                type                                                                          settlement                                                                            the date upon which the settlement                                                               513      .check mark.                              date    consummated                                                           contingent                                                                            a number representing the                                                                        514      .check mark.                              fee     percentage of the offer paid to the                                           attorney                                                              offer   the amount offered by defendants                                                                 515      .check mark.                                      to settle the case                                                    ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the defendants table 220 are shown in Table III. Thesefields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 6 and will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                        Defendant Table Structure                                                     Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        defendant ID                                                                          an identifier of the defendant                                                                            .check mark.                                      which is unique to the case                                           file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               601      .check mark.                              name    a defendant's name 602      .check mark.                              address the defendant's address                                                                          603      .check mark.                              date of birth                                                                         the defendant's date of birth                                                                    604                                                government                                                                            a government-issued identification                                                               605                                                identification                                                                        number, preferably a drivers                                                  license number                                                        entity type                                                                           the defendant's legal entity:                                                                    606      .check mark.                                      preferably selected from a list                                               which includes male, female and                                               corporate                                                             service date                                                                          the date when the defendant was                                                                  607      .check mark.                                      served with a complaint                                               ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the insurers table 210 are shown in Table IV. These fieldsand additional fields are shown in FIG. 7 and will be appreciated bythose of skill in the art.

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        Insurer Table Structure                                                       Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               701      .check mark.                              insured name                                                                          the name of the party covered by                                                                 702      .check mark.                                      the referenced insurance policy                                       adjuster                                                                              the adjuster's name who                                                                          703      .check mark.                              name    is assigned to the case                                               policy  the policy number of the                                                                         704      .check mark.                              number  insured's insurance policy                                            claim   the claim number assigned to the                                                                 705      .check mark.                              number  case by the insurance company                                         policy limits                                                                         the monetary limits of the                                                                       706      .check mark.                                      insurance policy                                                      medical contributions toward payment of                                                                  707                                                payments                                                                              medical expenses under policy                                         reimburse-                                                                            indicates whether medical                                                                        708                                                ment    payments must be reimbursed                                           rental car                                                                            whether a vehicle insurance policy                                                               709                                                        provides for rental car                                                       reimbursement                                                         uninsured                                                                             whether the policy provides                                                                      710      .check mark.                              motorist                                                                              coverage for damage caused by                                                 uninsured motorists                                                   uninsured                                                                             the policy limits for uninsured                                                                  711                                                motorist                                                                              motorist coverage                                                     limits                                                                        ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the attorneys table 260 are shown in Table V. These fieldsand additional fields are shown in FIG. 8 and will be appreciated bythose of skill in the art.

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                        Attorney Table Structure                                                      Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               801      .check mark.                              attorney ID                                                                           the identifier of an attorney                                                                    802      .check mark.                                      involved in the case (not with the                                            firm)                                                                 party name                                                                            the party the attorney represents                                                                803      .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the incidents table 205 are shown in Table VI. Thesefields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 9 and will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                        Incidents Table Structure                                                     Field Name                                                                             Description       Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                            an identifier of the case - unique                                                              901      .check mark.                              incident date                                                                          the date the incident occurred,                                                                 902      .check mark.                                       and preferably also the time                                         incident type                                                                          the type of incident                                                                            903                                                location the location of the incident                                                                    904      .check mark.                              description                                                                            a narrative description of the                                                                  905      .check mark.                                       incident                                                             code violation                                                                         any government laws, re-                                                                        906                                                         gulations, rules or ordinances                                                which were violated                                                  conditions                                                                             relevant conditions to the                                                                      907                                                         incident                                                             prior accidents                                                                        information about prior related                                                                 908                                                         accidents                                                            ______________________________________                                    

Table VI-Incidents Table Structure

The fields in the property damage table 315 are shown in Table VII.These fields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 10 and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE VII                                                       ______________________________________                                        Property Damage Table Structure                                               Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier associated with the                                                                1001     .check mark.                                      case - unique                                                         client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             1002     .check mark.                                      to the client's case                                                  type/year                                                                             the type and year of the client's                                                                1003     .check mark.                                      vehicle                                                               plate   the vehicle's license plate number                                                               1004                                               owner   the name of the vehicle's registered                                                             1005     .check mark.                                      owner                                                                 photos  a narrative description of the                                                                   1006                                                       photos of property damage                                             description                                                                           a narrative description of the                                                                   1007                                                       damage to the vehicle                                                 mileage the vehicle's odometer reading at                                                                1008                                                       the time of the incident                                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the loss of earnings table 320 are shown in Table VIII.These fields are shown in FIG. 11 and will be appreciated by those ofskill in the art.

                  TABLE VIII                                                      ______________________________________                                        Loss of Earnings Table Structure                                              Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               1101     .check mark.                              client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             1102     .check mark.                              employer                                                                              the name of the client's employer                                                                1103     .check mark.                              address the employer's address                                                                           1104                                               supervisor                                                                            the name of the client's supervisor                                                              1105                                               job title                                                                             the client's title at work                                                                       1106     .check mark.                              job duties                                                                            narrative description of the client's                                                            1107                                                       duties at work                                                        lost time                                                                             how many hours and/or days of                                                                    1108     .check mark.                                      work time the client lost                                             compensa-                                                                             the client's hourly or other normal                                                              1109     .check mark.                              tion    compensation                                                          ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the medical bills table 310 are shown in Table IX. Thesefields and additional fields are shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE IX                                                        ______________________________________                                        Medical Bills Table Structure                                                 Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               1201     .check mark.                              client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             1202     .check mark.                                      to the client's case                                                  provider ID                                                                           the identifier of the medical care                                                               1203     .check mark.                                      provider                                                              doctor  the attending doctor's name                                                                      1204     .check mark.                              first exam                                                                            the date of the doctor's first exam                                                              1205                                                       of the client                                                         final   the date of the doctor's final exam                                                              1206                                                       of the client                                                         report  whether the doctor's report has                                                                  1207                                               received                                                                              been received by the firm                                             rec received               1208                                               bill received                                                                         whether the medical provider's bill                                                              1209                                                       has been received by the firm                                         lien signed                1210                                               injury  the injury treated by the doctor                                                                 1211                                               treatment                                                                             the treatment prescribed by the                                                                  1212                                                       doctor                                                                future  future treatments prescribed by the                                                              1213                                               treatment                                                                             doctor                                                                charge  the medical provider's charge                                                                    1214     .check mark.                              non-reim-                                                                             the amount of non-reimbursable                                                                   1215                                               bursable                                                                              charges                                                               reduction                                                                             the amount of discount or other                                                                  1216                                                       reduction applied to the medical                                              provider's charges                                                    ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the witnesses table 215 are shown in Table X. These fieldsand additional fields are shown in FIG. 13 and will be appreciated bythose of skill in the art.

                  TABLE X                                                         ______________________________________                                        Witnesses Table Structure                                                     Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               1301     .check mark.                              name    the witness's name 1302     .check mark.                              address the witness's address                                                                            1303     .check mark.                              government                                                                            the witness's driver license number                                                              1304                                               identification                                                                date of birth                                                                         the witness's date of birth                                                                      1305                                               statement                                                                             indicates whether a statement was                                                                1306                                                       taken from the witness                                                statement                                                                             the date the witness's statement                                                                 1307                                               date    was taken                                                             favorable                                                                             whether the witness is favorable to                                                              1308                                                       the firm's clients                                                    testimony                                                                             narrative of the witness's testimony                                                             1309     .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the expert witnesses table 250 are shown in Table XI.These fields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 14 and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XI                                                        ______________________________________                                        Expert Witnesses Table Structure                                              Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               1401     .check mark.                              expert ID                                                                             an identifier of the expert witness -                                                            1402     .check mark.                                      unique                                                                opinion the opinion of the expert witness                                                                1403     .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the evidence table 245 are shown in Table XII. Thesefields are shown in FIG. 15 and will be appreciated by those of skill inthe art.

                  TABLE XII                                                       ______________________________________                                        Evidence Table Structure                                                      Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               1501     .check mark.                              name    the name of the documentary                                                                      1502     .check mark.                                      evidence                                                              issue   the issue raised or addressed by the                                                             1503                                                       document                                                              description                                                                           a narrative description of the                                                                   1504     .check mark.                                      document                                                              party   an identifier of the party (client ID                                                            1505     .check mark.                              supported                                                                             or defendant ID) supported by the                                             document                                                              date received                                                                         the date the firm received the                                                                   1506                                                       document                                                              source  the source of the document                                                                       1507                                               admissible                                                                            whether the document is likely                                                                   1508                                                       admissible at trial                                                   objections                                                                            potential objections to the                                                                      1509                                                       evidence's admission                                                  arguments                                                                             the arguments underlying the                                                                     1510                                                       objections                                                            authority                                                                             the legal authority for the                                                                      1511                                                       arguments                                                             motions in                                                                            description of motions in limine                                                                 1512                                               limine  anticipated for trial                                                 ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the litigation table 230 are shown in Table XIII. Thesefields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 16 and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XIII                                                      ______________________________________                                        Litigation Table Structure                                                    Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of case - unique                                                                   1601     .check mark.                              case number                                                                           the case number assigned by the                                                                  1602     .check mark.                                      court                                                                 court ID                                                                              an identifier of the court - unique                                                              1603     .check mark.                              trial date                                                                            the date for the trial to start                                                                  1604                                               trial time                                                                            the time when the trial is to start                                                              1605                                               department                                                                            the department, division or court                                                                1606                                                       room for the trial                                                    judge   the judge hearing the case                                                                       1607                                               ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the depositions table 255 are shown in Table XIV. Thesefields and additional fields are shown in FIG. 17 and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XIV                                                       ______________________________________                                        Depositions Table Structure                                                   Field Name                                                                             Description       Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                            an identifier of the case - unique                                                              1701     .check mark.                              deponent the name of the deponent                                                                        1702     .check mark.                              service date                                                                           the name of the deponent                                                                        1703     .check mark.                              deposition date                                                                        the date of the deposition                                                                      1704     .check mark.                              deposition time                                                                        the time of the deposition                                                                      1705     .check mark.                              document a list of documents requested for                                                               1706                                               request  the deponent to produce at the                                                deposition                                                           noticed by                                                                             the party noticing the deposition                                                               1707                                               location the location of the deposition                                                                  1708     .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the discovery table 330 are shown in Table XV. Thesefields are shown in FIG. 18 and will be appreciated by those of skill inthe art. Although only one discovery table is shown, it is preferred toprovide to discovery tables--one table for discovery propounded by aclient, and a second table for discovery propounded by a defendant on aclient. In such an embodiment, the "from" and "to" fields do not includea defendant ID. Rather, it is preferred to have only the typed name ofthe defendant in the field.

                  TABLE XV                                                        ______________________________________                                        Discovery Table Structure                                                     Field Name                                                                             Description       Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                            an identifier of the case - unique                                                              1801     .check mark.                              to       an identifier of the party (client                                                              1803     .check mark.                                       or defendant) upon whom the                                                   discovery was served                                                 from     an identifier of the party (client                                                              1804     .check mark.                                       or defendant) serving the                                                     discovery                                                            type     the type of discovery                                                                           1805     .check mark.                              service date                                                                           the date the discovery request                                                                  1806                                                        was served                                                           service type                                                                           the type of service                                                                             1807                                               set      the set number of the discovery                                                                 1808                                                        request                                                              extension                                                                              whether the discovery request is                                                                1809                                                        extendable                                                           response served                                                                        whether the response to the                                                                     1810                                                        discovery request was served                                         response due                                                                           date discovery response is due                                                                  1811     .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the motions table 240 are shown in Table XVI. These fieldsare shown in FIG. 19 and will be appreciated by those of skill in theart.

                  TABLE XVI                                                       ______________________________________                                        Motions Table Structure                                                       Field Name                                                                             Description       Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                            an identifier of the case - unique                                                              1901     .check mark.                              moving party                                                                           an identifier of the moving party                                                               1902     .check mark.                              ID       (client ID or defendant ID)                                          responding                                                                             an identifier of the responding                                                                 1903     .check mark.                              party ID party (client ID or defendant ID)                                    motion type                                                                            the type of motion                                                                              1904     .check mark.                              date served                                                                            the date the motion served                                                                      1905                                               service type                                                                           the type of service of the motion                                                               1906                                               ruling   the court's ruling on the motion                                                                1907                                               notice required                                                                        indicates whether notice of                                                                     1908                                                        ruling required to be given                                          hearing date                                                                           the hearing date of the motion                                                                  1909     .check mark.                              hearing time                                                                           the hearing time of the motion                                                                  1910     .check mark.                              department                                                                             the department, division or court                                                               1911     .check mark.                                       room for the hearing                                                 opposition due                                                                         the date when the opposition to                                                                 1912                                                        the motion must be filed                                             reply due                                                                              the date when the reply to the                                                                  1913                                                        opposition must be filed                                             follow up                                                                              describes subsequent actions                                                                    1914                                                        required pursuant to court's                                                  ruling                                                               ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the costs table 325 are shown in Table XVII. These fieldsare shown in FIG. 20 and will be appreciated by those of skill in theart.

                  TABLE XVII                                                      ______________________________________                                        Costs Table Structure                                                         Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               2001     .check mark.                              client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             2002     .check mark.                                      to the client's case                                                  date    the date the cost was incurred                                                                   2003                                               type    the type of expense                                                                              2004     .check mark.                              description                                                                           a narrative description of the                                                                   2005                                                       expense                                                               charge  the charge for the expense                                                                       2006     .check mark.                              amount paid                                                                           the amount the firm paid                                                                         2007                                               ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the arbitrations table 235 are shown in Table XVIII. Theseand additional fields are shown in FIG. 21 and will be appreciated bythose of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XVIII                                                     ______________________________________                                        Arbitrations Table Structure                                                  Field Name                                                                            Description       Reference Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                              2101      .check mark.                              hearing date                                                                          the date when the arbitration                                                                   2102      .check mark.                                      hearing is to start                                                   time    the time when the arbitration                                                                   2103      .check mark.                                      hearing is to start                                                   location                                                                              the location of the arbitration                                                                 2104      .check mark.                                      hearing                                                               arbitrator                                                                            the arbitrator's database ID                                                                    2105      .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the police reports table 225 are shown in Table XIX. Theseand additional fields are shown in FIG. 22 and will be appreciated bythose of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XIX                                                       ______________________________________                                        Police Reports Table Structure                                                Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               2201     .check mark.                              citation                                                                              indicates whether a citation was                                                                 2202                                               issued  issued by the investigating agency                                    agency  the name of the agency issuing the                                                               2203     .check mark.                                      citation                                                              address the address of the citing agency                                                                 2204     .check mark.                              report  number of report assigned by                                                                     2205     .check mark.                              number  agency                                                                ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the body shops table 335 are shown in Table XX. These andadditional fields are shown in FIG. 23 and will be appreciated by thoseof skill in the art.

                  TABLE XX                                                        ______________________________________                                        Body Shops Table Structure                                                    Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               2301     .check mark.                              client ID                                                                             an identifier of the client - unique                                                             2305     .check mark.                                      to the client's case                                                  name    the name of the body shop                                                                        2302     .check mark.                              vehicle ID                                                                            the license plate or VIN of the                                                                  2303     .check mark.                                      client's vehicle                                                      estimate                                                                              the body shop's estimate to repair                                                               2304     .check mark.                                      the client's vehicle                                                  ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the attorney contacts table 410 are shown in Table XXI.These fields are shown in FIG. 24 and will be appreciated by those ofskill in the art.

                  TABLE XXI                                                       ______________________________________                                        Attorney Contacts Table Structure                                             Field Name                                                                             Description       Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        attorney ID                                                                            an identifier of the attorney -                                                                          .check mark.                                       unique                                                               attorney name                                                                          the attorney's name                                                                             2401     .check mark.                              firm     the name of the attorney's firm                                                                 2402     .check mark.                              salutation                                                                             a salutation or greeting for use in                                                             2403     .check mark.                                       letters to the attorney                                              address  the attorney's address                                                                          2404     .check mark.                              secretary                                                                              the name of the attorney's                                                                      2405                                                        secretary                                                            ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the adjuster contacts table 425 are shown in Table XXII.These fields are shown in FIG. 25 and will be appreciated by those ofskill in the art.

                  TABLE XXII                                                      ______________________________________                                        Adjuster Contacts Table Structure                                             Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        adjuster ID                                                                           an identifier of the adjuster -                                                                           .check mark.                                      unique                                                                adjuster                                                                              the name of the insurance adjuster                                                               2501     .check mark.                              company the adjuster's insurance company                                                                 2502     .check mark.                              salutation                                                                            a salutation of greeting for use in                                                              2503     .check mark.                                      letters to the adjuster                                               address the adjuster's address                                                                           2504     .check mark.                              manager the name of the adjuster's manager                                                               2505                                               supervisor                                                                            the name of the adjuster's                                                                       2506                                                       supervisor                                                            ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the expert contacts table 430 are shown in Table XXIII.These and additional fields are shown in FIG. 26 and will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XXIII                                                     ______________________________________                                        Expert Contacts Table Structure                                               Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        expert ID                                                                             a unique identifier of the expert                                                                         .check mark.                              name    the expert's name  2601     .check mark.                              salutation                                                                            a salutation or greeting for use in                                                              2602     .check mark.                                      letters to the expert                                                 address the expert's address                                                                             2603                                               specialty                                                                             the expert's specialty                                                                           2604     .check mark.                              rate    the expert's billing rate                                                                        2605                                               deposition                                                                            the minimum charged by the                                                                       2606                                               min.    expert for a deposition                                               trial min.                                                                            the minimum charged by the                                                                       2607                                                       expert for a day of trial                                             side    whether the expert normally                                                                      2608                                                       represents plaintiffs or defendants                                   ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the medical provider contacts table 420 are shown in TableXXIV. These and additional fields are shown in FIG. 27 and will beappreciated by those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XXIV                                                      ______________________________________                                        Medical Provider Contacts Table Structure                                     Field Name                                                                              Description      Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        medical   a unique identifier       .check mark.                              provider ID                                                                   medical provider                                                                        the name of the medical                                                                        2701     .check mark.                                        services provider                                                   address   the medical provider's address                                                                 2702                                               contact   the name of a contact at the                                                                   2703                                                         medical provider                                                    ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the arbitrator contacts table 415 are shown in Table XXV.These and additional fields are shown in FIG. 28 and will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XXV                                                       ______________________________________                                        Arbitrator Contacts Table Structure                                           Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        arbitrator                                                                            the arbitrator's database ID                                                                     2801     .check mark.                              name    the arbitrator's name                                                                            2802     .check mark.                              address the arbitrator's address                                                                         2803                                               contact person at office of arbitrator                                                                   2804                                                       through whom arrangements made                                        panel name                                                                            the name of the panel through                                                                    2805                                                       which the arbitrator makes                                                    arrangements                                                          salutation                                                                            a salutation or greeting to use in                                                               2806     .check mark.                                      letters to the arbitrator                                             ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the firm attorneys table 405 are shown in Table XXVI.These and additional fields are shown in FIG. 30 and will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art.

                  TABLE XXVI                                                      ______________________________________                                        Firm Attorneys Table Structure                                                Field Name                                                                             Description      Reference Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        attorney ID                                                                            an identifier of the attorney -                                                                          .check mark.                                       unique                                                               attorney name                                                                          the attorney's name                                                                            3001      .check mark.                              ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the appearances table 265 are shown in Table XXVII. Thesefields are shown in FIG. 31 and will be appreciated by those of skill inthe art.

                  TABLE XXVII                                                     ______________________________________                                        Appearances Table Structure                                                   Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        file number                                                                           an identifier of the case - unique                                                               3101     .check mark.                              appearance                                                                            the name of the hearing for which                                                                3102     .check mark.                                      the attorney must appear                                              date    the date of the appearance                                                                       3103     .check mark.                              time    the time of the appearance                                                                       3104     .check mark.                              department                                                                            the courtroom in which the                                                                       3105                                                       hearing has been scheduled                                            judge   the judge who will preside over                                                                  3106                                                       the scheduled hearing                                                 ______________________________________                                    

The fields in the courts table 435 are shown in Table XXVIII. Thesefields are shown in FIG. 32 and will be appreciated by those of skill inthe art.

                  TABLE XXVIII                                                    ______________________________________                                        Courts Table Structure                                                        Field Name                                                                            Description        Reference                                                                              Essential?                                ______________________________________                                        court ID                                                                              an identifier of the court - unique                                                              3201     .check mark.                              county  the county where the court sits                                                                  3202     .check mark.                              jurisdiction                                                                          the name of the court's                                                                          3203     .check mark.                                      jurisdiction                                                          district                                                                              the name of the court's district                                                                 3204     .check mark.                              covered a description of the court's                                                                     3205                                               cities  jurisdiction                                                          address the court's address                                                                              3206                                               ______________________________________                                    

Table Linkages

Tables preferably linked by file number field: clients, incidents,insurers, witnesses, defendants, police reports, litigation,arbitrations, motions, evidence, expert witnesses, attorneys,depositions, medical bills, property damage, loss of earnings, costs,discovery, body shops, appearances.

Tables preferably linked by client ID field: clients, medical bills,property damage, loss of earnings, costs, insurers (through insured IDfield), evidence (through party supported field), depositions (throughnoticed by field), discovery (through to and from fields), motions(through moving party field and responding party field).

Tables preferably linked by attorney assigned field: clients, firmattorneys (through attorney ID field).

Tables preferably linked by adjuster ID field: insurers, adjustercontacts.

Tables which could be linked by defendant ID field: defendants, insurers(through insured ID field), evidence (through party supported field),depositions (through noticed by field), discovery (through to and fromfields), motions (through moving party field and responding partyfield).

Tables preferably linked by attorney ID field: attorneys, attorneycontacts.

Tables preferably linked by medical provider ID field: medical bills,medical providers.

Tables preferably linked by expert ID field: expert witnesses, expertcontacts.

Tables preferably linked by arbitrator ID field: arbitrations,arbitrator contacts.

Tables preferably linked by court ID field: litigation, courts.

Several of the tables have very similar fields, but are not linked. Forexample, the attorney contacts table, the adjuster contacts table, theexperts contacts table and the arbitrator contacts table include name,address and salutation fields, but are not linked. These tables could beembodied as a single contact table having the fields of all of thetables, plus a field which indicates the type of contact.

Database Manager

In conjunction with the data structure described above, the electroniccase manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office includes adatabase management program having instructions and arranged formanaging the data structure to allow users to generate documents on anoutput device such as display 105 or printer 125.

The operation of the database management program is further describedwith reference to FIG. 29. After the database management program isstarted (step 2905), the database management program provides promptsand controls the input of data by a user and stores the data in the longterm memory 180 (step 2910). Next, the database management programprovides prompts for the user to select an output (e.g., an analyticalreport or a form document) and controls the user's input of criteriadata to be used by the database management program to generate theoutput (step 2915). The database management program next generates thedesired output (step 2920), and processing is complete (step 2925).

The electronic case manager manages the data structure in accordancewith predefined structure rules in the database management program. Someof these structure rules are also evident from FIGS. 2-4, wherein sometables are shown as a single box, to show one record in that table percase, and other tables are shown as staggered boxes, to show multiplepossible records in that table per case. The structure rules include:

For each case there will be only one linked incident record.

For each incident record there will be at least one linked clientrecord.

For each incident record there will be at least one linked defendantrecord.

For each incident record there will be at least one linked insurerrecord.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked attorneyrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked property damagerecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked loss ofearnings records.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked medical billsrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked witnessrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked expert witnessrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked evidencerecords.

For each incident record there may be only one linked litigation record.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked depositionrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked discoveryrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked motion records.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked costs records.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked police reportrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked arbitrationrecords.

For each incident record there may be one or more linked body shoprecords.

For each client record there may be one or more linked medical billrecords.

For each client record there may be only one linked property damagerecords.

For each client record there may be only one linked loss of earningsrecords.

For each client record there may be one or more linked cost records.

For each client record there may be one or more linked insurer records.

For each client record there may be one or more linked evidence records.

For each client record there may be one or more linked depositionrecords.

For each client record there may be one or more linked discoveryrecords.

For each client record there may be one or more linked motion records.

For each client record there will be one linked firm attorney record.

For each insurer record there will be one linked adjuster contactrecord.

For each defendant record there may be one or more linked insurerrecords.

For each defendant record there may be one or more linked evidencerecords.

For each defendant record there may be one or more linked depositionrecords.

For each defendant record there may be one or more linked discoveryrecords.

For each defendant record there may be one or more linked motionrecords.

For each attorney record there must be one linked attorney contactrecord.

For each medical bill record there must be one linked medical providerrecord.

For each expert witness record there must be one linked expert contactrecords.

For each arbitration record there must be one linked arbitrator contactrecord.

The database management program includes instructions for merging datastored in records in the tables with document templates in accordancewith predefined merge rules. Thus, after the database management programguides the user through selection of a particular type of document tohave generated and database record selection criteria, the databasemanagement program generate the selected document on the printer 125(FIG. 1).

For example, if the user desired to print a blank pleading, the usernavigates the database management program until he reaches a list ofdocuments which the database management program can generate. Documentchoices may be organized into one or more hierarchical or linked menus.Preferably, the database management program responds by requesting theuser select a client to which the document will relate. The databasemanagement program preferably provides a scrollable list or other deviceto permit simple and friendly selection of a desired client record.Next, the database management program provides the user with a sub-menufrom which the user selects the specific document to be produced--"Blankpleading" in this example.

The database management program then gathers data from the tables togenerate the document. In the case of a blank pleading and some otherdocuments, the database management program generates the document in aneditable format, such as in a wordprocessor format. The PI Powertoolaccomplishes this by exporting the data needed by the blank pleadingdocument, and through macros causes WordPerfect to generate the bankpleading.

To generate the blank pleading, the database management program uses theclient ID of the client selected by the user to determine the filenumber of the client's case. From the file number, the databasemanagement program can access all of the related defendant records inthe defendants table 220, and can obtain the names 602 of all of thedefendants in the case. The client ID will also provide access to aclient record in the clients table 305, so the database managementprogram can determine which firm attorney 508 is assigned to the case.The identity of the firm attorney from the client record links to thefirm attorneys table 405, which will have the name of the attorney 3001so that the attorney's name is printed at the top of the pleading. Thedatabase management program obtains the name of the court through thecourt ID in the related incident record in the incidents table 205, fromwhich the court's name can be found in the courts table 435. Of coursethe particular data needed by each document will vary, and one ofordinary skill in the art can identify the tables and fields having thedesired data to produce the document and the linked fields necessary tofind that data.

The database management program preferably can also print generateddocuments directly. For example, Judicial Council Forms are in a formatwhich is generally incompatible with most word processors. Accordingly,the Judicial Council Forms are stored in a graphic-type format, and thedatabase management program places the data in the proper position inthe desired form. If the user has properly entered all needed data intothe database, then the database management program can gather this data,through linkages such as the client ID, fill in the data in the form,and print the form.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in theart that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to theinvention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from thespirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications andalterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the presentinvention.

It is claimed:
 1. An electronic case manager for a personal injuryplaintiffs law office in which client and defendant level data relatedto an injury incident are collected, the electronic case managerincluding a computer having a storage device, an output device, andsystem software for inputting, managing and outputting case datacomprising:(a) a data structure programmed and arranged for classifyingdata in a relational structure comprising a plurality of tables, thetables comprising plural records relating to personal injury-causingincidents, each record comprising at least one field, the tablescomprising:(i) a clients table for storing information about clients inclient records, (ii) a defendants table for storing information aboutprospective and actual defendants for claims by law office clients forpersonal injuries in defendant records, (iii) an insurers table forstoring information about insurers in insurer records, (iv) an attorneystable for storing information storing about defense and insuranceattorneys in attorney records, (v) an incidents table for storinginformation about injury-causing incidents in incidents records, (vi) aproperty damage table for storing information about property damage inproperty damage records, (vii) a loss of earning table for storinginformation about loss of earnings in loss of earnings records, (viii) amedical bills table for storing information about medical bills inmedical bills records, (ix) a witnesses table for storing informationabout witnesses in witness records, (x) an expert witnesses table forstoring information about expert witnesses in expert witness records,(xi) an evidence table for storing information about evidence inevidence records, (xii) a litigation table for storing information aboutlitigation in litigation records, (xiii) a depositions table for storinginformation about depositions in deposition records, (xiv) a discoverytable for storing information about discovery in discovery records, (xv)a motions table for storing information about motions in motion records,(xvi) a costs table for storing information about court costs in costsrecords, (xvii) an arbitrations table for storing information aboutarbitrations in arbitration records, (xviii) a police reports table forstoring information about police reports in police report recordswherein the tables are linked through certain identical fields, thelinkages comprising:a file number field is included in and required inthe records of the clients table, the defendants table, the insurerstable, the attorneys table, the incidents table, the property damagetable, the loss of earning table, the medical bills table, the witnessestable, the expert witnesses table, the evidence table, the litigationtable, the depositions table, the discovery table, the motions table,the costs table, the arbitrations table and the police reports table,the file number field comprising a unique reference number forreferencing incidents, a client name field is included in and requiredin the records of the clients table, the loss of earning table, themedical bills table, the discovery table and the costs table, the clientname field comprising a client's name and is unique in each table foreach file number, (b) a database manager programmed and arranged formanaging the data structure to allow users to generate documents on theoutput device,(i) the database manager including instructions formerging data stored in records in the tables with document templates inaccordance with predefined merge rules, (ii) the database managermanaging the data structure in accordance with predefined structurerules, the structure rules including:1) for each incident there will beat least one client record, 2) for each incident there will be at leastone defendant record, 3) for each incident there will be at least oneinsurer record, 4) for each incident there may be one or more attorneyrecords, 5) for each incident there will be only one incident record, 6)for each incident there may be one or more property damage records, 7)for each incident there may be one or more loss of earnings records, 8)for each incident there may be one or more medical bills records, 9) foreach incident there may be one or more witness records, 10) for eachincident there may be one or more expert witness records, 11) for eachincident there may be one or more evidence records, 12) for eachincident there may be one litigation record, 13) for each incident theremay be one or more deposition records, 14) for each incident there maybe one or more discovery records, 15) for each incident there may be oneor more motion records, 16) for each incident there may be one or morecosts records.
 2. The electronic case manager for a personal injuryplaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the client recordscomprising:(a) a file number field for storing the file numberassociated with the given incident, (b) a name field for storing a nameof a given client having an injury arising from the given incident, (c)an address field for storing the given client's mailing address, (d) adate of birth field for storing the given client's date of birth, (e) afirst government identification field for storing the given client'sdrivers licence number, (f) a second government identification field forstoring the given client's social security number, (g) a salutationfield for a salutation to the given client, (h) an event type field forstoring a type of event which led to the given client's injury, (i) anassigned attorney field for storing a name of a law office attorneyassigned to represent the given client,wherein the table includespre-defined, standard types with filled-in values such that when productcomponents and product component specifications are added, a user maychoose from a list of common components to copy thereby promotingefficiency and data integrity.
 3. The electronic case manager for apersonal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, thedefendant records comprising:(a) a file number field for storing thefile number associated with the given incident, (b) a name field forstoring a name of a given prospective or actual defendant in the givenincident, (c) an address field for storing the given defendant's mailingaddress, (d) a date of birth field for storing the given defendant'sdate of birth, (e) a first government identification field for storingthe given defendant's drivers licence number, (f) a defendant entitytype field for storing whether the given defendant is male, female orcorporate, (g) a service date field for storing a date when the givendefendant was served with a complaint.
 4. The electronic case managerfor a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, theinsurer records comprising:(a) a file number field for storing the filenumber associated with the given incident, (b) an insured name field forstoring a name of a party having insurance coverage relating to thegiven incident, (c) an adjuster name field for storing a name of aninsurance adjuster assigned to represent an insurer in the givenincident with respect to the insured whose name is in the insured namefield, (d) an insurance policy number field for storing an insurancepolicy number for the insurance policy of the insured whose name is inthe insured name field, (e) a claim number field for storing a claimnumber used by the insurer with respect to the incident, (f) a policylimits field for storing the monetary limits of the insurance policy ofthe insured whose name is in the insured name field, (g) a medicalpayments field, (h) a reimbursement field, (i) a rental car field forstoring whether the insurance policy provides for payment for a rentalcar, (j) an uninsured motorist field for storing whether the insurancepolicy provides for payment for uninsured motorist claims, (k) anuninsured motorist limits field for storing an amount of coverage foruninsured motorist claims.
 5. The electronic case manager for a personalinjury plaintiffs law office set forth in claim 1, the incident recordscomprising:(a) a file number field for storing the file numberassociated with the given incident, (b) an incident date field forstoring the date of the given incident, (c) an accident type field forstoring the type of incident, (d) a location field for storing thelocation of the incident, (e) a description field for storing anarrative description of the incident, (f) a code violation field forstoring references to governmental rules, regulations and laws underwhich a citation was issued for the given incident, (g) a conditionsfield for storing a description of any environmental conditions relevantto the given incident, (h) a prior accidents field.
 6. The electroniccase manager for a personal injury plaintiffs law office set forth inclaim 1, the tables further comprising:(a) a body shops table forstoring information about body shops in body shop records, (b) anattorney information table for storing information about attorneys inattorney name records, (c) an adjusters table for storing informationabout insurance adjusters, (d) a medical providers table for storinginformation about medical care providers; wherein the tables are linkedthrough identical fields, the linkages comprising:a body shop name fieldis included in and required in the records of the body shops table andthe property damage table, the body shop name field comprising a uniquekey for referencing a body shop, an attorney name field is included inand required in the records of the attorneys table and the attorneynames table, the attorney name field comprising a unique key forreferencing an attorney, an adjuster field is included in and requiredin the records of the adjusters table and the insurance table, theadjuster field comprising a unique key for referencing an insuranceadjuster, a medical provider name field is included in and required inthe records of the medical providers table and the medical bills table,the medical provider name field comprising a unique key for referencinga medical care provider; the structure rules including:there may be oneor more body shops records for each property damage record, and multipleproperty damage records may have identical data in their body shop namefields, there will be one attorney name record for each attorney record,and multiple attorney records may have identical data in their attorneyname fields, there will be one adjuster record for each insurancerecord, and multiple insurance records may have identical data in theiradjuster name fields, there will be one medical provider record for eachmedical bill record, and multiple medical bill records may haveidentical data in their medical provider name fields.